


And You Look So Handsome Tonight

by nothingbutdreamsinside



Series: footloose but make it gay [1]
Category: Footloose (1984), Footloose (2011)
Genre: Footloose - Freeform, M/M, Musical References, References to Footloose (1984), footloose the musical, footloose the musical references, ren is a bi king, two bros chillin in a pickup truck, zero feet apart because they ARE gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27926746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingbutdreamsinside/pseuds/nothingbutdreamsinside
Summary: “If anything, it’s like I’m on a date with you.”“And you look so handsome tonight.”Ren cringes.What was I thinking?(just a lil' footloose fanfiction. nothin more nothin less)
Relationships: Ren McCormack/Willard (Footloose 1984), Willard Hewitt/Ren McCormack
Series: footloose but make it gay [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044930
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	And You Look So Handsome Tonight

It was nearly midnight as Willard drove Ren home from the Bar-B-Queue in his old pickup. Willard had rolled the windows down to let the breeze in, and a love song Ren remembers Ariel singing once played quietly on the radio. They didn’t talk, but it was fine. Peaceful. They never needed to talk when they were together.

Ren recalls everything that had happened only hours before. How loud the old country music was playing as Ren had first led Willard through the first steps of the line dance they were doing. How bright the lights of the bar had shone as Willard’s eyes lit up after managing to perform the steps correctly. He seemed so happy, as everyone cheered him on and Ren hugged him tight, realization dawning on him. He thinks back to their conversation beforehand.

_If anything, it’s like I’m on a date with you._

_And you look so handsome tonight._

Ren cringes. _What was I thinking?_

He had tried being subtle, but Willard just never seemed to understand. No matter how many times they spent late nights in Willard’s truck talking about nothing and everything, no matter how many times Ren complimented him, or even straight-up flirted with him—Willard always just rolled his eyes or dismissed it as a joke.

Ren then thinks of the night when Willard had spoken to him, how nervous and afraid he had been. They were walking along the quiet streets of Bomont, nervous to stand too close or too far apart (somebody’s eyes were always watching). Ren had started joking about Rusty and how bad she had it for Willard (why did he do that?). He remembers Willard pausing, and how his voice shook as he spoke.

_It’s not like that._

_What do you mean? she clearly likes you—_

_No, I mean, it’s not her. It’s me. I don’t—I can’t— ___

__

__Ren shifts in his seat. He had been as supportive as possible, even telling Willard that he swings both ways, so there was nothing to worry about. As long as they had each other, right?_ _

__

_I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I never—I don’t know how—_

_Don’t worry. I’ll protect you._

____ _ _

____The song on the radio changed, Ren noticed, this time to a slower love ballad. Ren couldn’t help but think that God herself was trying to give him some sort of sign. If Willard was too oblivious to notice Ren’s frequent reassurances, his soft, loving glances, his affection that he didn’t show anyone else—maybe Willard would just have to hear it from Ren himself._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Willard, buddy, pull over.”_ _ _ _

____Willard raised an eyebrow. “Why? We’re almost back to your place—“_ _ _ _

____“Just, pull over. Please?”_ _ _ _

____Willard sighed and slowed the car. “Fine.”_ _ _ _

____He pulled to the side of the barren road, into a wide empty field they had passed so many times before when driving in and out of Bomont. He stopped the engine, leaving the radio quietly playing in the background._ _ _ _

____“So, what is it?” Willard asked in his thick Southern drawl._ _ _ _

____Ren sighed, running a hand through his hair. Now or never, I guess._ _ _ _

____“I can’t keep doing this, Willard.”_ _ _ _

____Willard froze. “Doin’ what? Going out together? Dancin’? Look, I know I only just learned how, but—“_ _ _ _

____“No, Willard. Not that. I can’t keep pretending that I’m not in love with you. That I don’t think about you anytime we’re not together. That I don’t love your voice or your freckles or your stupid overalls or your jokes or your adorable accent. I’m in love with you, Willard. That’s all I wanted to say.”_ _ _ _

____Willard stares back at him with a dumbfounded expression. He turns, choosing to stare out the front windshield instead. Eventually, he shuts his eyes tightly and grips the steering wheel._ _ _ _

____“Well shit,” he mutters._ _ _ _

____“Yeah. I know.”_ _ _ _

____Willard pauses for a moment before speaking again.  
“You’re not messin’ with me, right? You’re serious? Cause if this is just another one of your pranks I swear I will kick your ass right across the county line—“_ _ _ _

____“Willard!” Ren interrupts. “I’m not messing around. I just couldn’t wait any longer, okay? After tonight, seeing you there, dancing with everyone, smiling and looking like that… I couldn’t wait, okay? I just didn’t want to keep lying to you. You don’t deserve that.”_ _ _ _

____Willard looked a mixture of hurt and confused. “What about Ariel? Aren’t y’all together? I mean I figured—“_ _ _ _

____“We’re not. I don’t think it would have worked out anyway.”_ _ _ _

____Ren recalls how earlier that night, at the bar, Ariel had held Rusty close as they slow danced amongst the crowd of couples. How defeated she had looked when Rusty cheered for Willard when he completed each dance step. Ren recognized that look. It was the same way Willard looked at Rusty, knowing he could never love her the way she deserved._ _ _ _

____“Ren,” Willard interrupted after what seemed like a century of waiting, “I don’t know what to say. I mean, it’s not that I don’t want— that I can’t—“_ _ _ _

____He stops himself, turning away from Ren to look out the opposite window instead. He lowers his voice._ _ _ _

____“I ain’t ever had anyone that made me feel this way before. I mean, I’d known I was— that I wasn’t—but I never had anyone to make it feel real, ya know? I always just…”_ _ _ _

____Ren leans over, placing a hand on Willard’s jaw, turning him so that they were only inches apart, staring into each other’s eyes._ _ _ _

____“Willard,” Ren murmurs._ _ _ _

____Willard’s eyes are darting back and forth, scanning Ren’s face._ _ _ _

____“Yeah?”_ _ _ _

____Ren almost finds himself lost in the deep blue ocean of Willard‘s irises. His freckles were scattered across his nose and cheeks like the stars graced the clear Bomont sky._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____God, Ren wanted to kiss him._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Can I kiss you?”_ _ _ _

____Willard froze. He wasn’t throwing the car door open and running away, so that must be a good sign. He only licked his bottom lip and nodded slowly, expectantly._ _ _ _

____Ren leaned in._ _ _ _

____Willard’s lips were surprisingly soft, and he was still for a moment before grabbing a hold of the front of Ren’s shirt and kissing back._ _ _ _

____The kiss was short; they pulled apart, for a moment. Willard’s face was bright red, however, his expression almost unreadable. Ren chuckled._ _ _ _

____“Well gee, Willard. What would your Mama say about you kissing another man in your dad’s old pickup after spending the night dancing at a western bar?”_ _ _ _

____Willard rolled his eyes, before placing a hand on Ren’s chest and pushing him back into his seat._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Just shut up and kiss me again.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Ren’s hands were in Willard’s hair, and his shirt was bunched up in Willard’s fists as their lips moved against each other in sync, like they had done this a thousand times before (Ren still couldn’t understand how they hadn't been)._ _ _ _

____Ren didn’t know how long they had been like that, tangled up in each other, the quiet drone of the radio filling the otherwise silent night air. Ren wrapped his arms around Willard’s neck as Willard placed a firm hand on Ren’s back, the other one pulling the hem of Ren’s shirt up to softly graze the skin of his torso._ _ _ _

____There was something different about kissing a man, Ren thought. He had done it before, in the dim light of Chicago’s dance clubs, but never like this. Never sprawled across the front seat of a rusty old pickup, holding the boy he loves underneath the starry expanse of Bomont sky, sighing into each other’s mouths. Willard wasn’t gentle, he never had been. He kissed with such ferocity, Ren almost wondered if he had ever kissed anyone like this before. For Ren, kissing was a freedom. For Willard, it was a fight._ _ _ _

____He supposed that in Willard’s case, there wasn’t a lot to pick from in terms of available guys willing to get it on with another dude. Even in the 21st century, there would always be people who couldn’t fathom the thought of two men in love, and Ren was certain that in a town where dancing was illegal, there certainly was no shortage of people willing to prevent any sort of other religious ‘blasphemy’, as Ariel’s father would say._ _ _ _

____Willard wasn’t religious, Ren knew that. Neither was he. Even if he was, he wouldn’t be ashamed. He would never be ashamed of loving someone like Willard. He was perfect. Everything about him was._ _ _ _

____Ren had always wanted to kiss the freckles that dusted Willard’s nose and cheeks. So he did. He kissed Willard’s lips, his nose, beneath his eye, behind his ear, below his jaw—he pulled the collar of Willard’s shirt down to suck on the skin there, hopefully leaving a dark bruise. Willard had many bruises from many different fights—what was one more?_ _ _ _

____“We coulda been doin’ this all along?” Willard finally groans, tugging at the back of Ren’s shirt._ _ _ _

____Ren smiles against Willard’s skin, leaving a trail of kisses up his neck before landing on his lips again. “Yeah, I guess so.”_ _ _ _

____They stare at each other for a moment. Ren smiles, and gently kisses Willard once on the mouth._ _ _ _

____“I love you.”_ _ _ _

____Willard blushes. “I think—I think I love you too.”_ _ _ _

____Ren leans back into the seat again, pulling Willard down with him, before whispering against his lips._ _ _ _

____“And you look so handsome tonight.”_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> if you're here because your school did Footloose and you were wondering if there was fanfiction about it: there is. you're welcome. if you're here because your school did Footloose and your Willard and Ren had unmatchable chemistry and you were wondering if anyone else thought so too: you're not alone. i played willard so i think i would know just how heated that western bar scene could get.
> 
> (my friend and i wrote this backstage during another one of our school's plays. also idk how tf to use html and that one flashback quote wouldn't italicize so oops!)


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